2013 News Releases

5 New England Communities Get EPA Technical Assistance to Help with Sustainability

(Boston, Mass. – Feb. 7, 2013) – Five New England communities were among 43 selected nationwide to receive EPA technical assistance to pursue sustainable growth that encourages local economic development while safeguarding people’s health and the environment. The New England communities are Brattleboro, Vt.; Bridgeport, Conn.; Brunswick, Maine; Portland, Maine; and Stamford, Conn.

The assistance is being provided through EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program to communities in 27 states. EPA staff and national experts will conduct one- or two-day workshops focusing on the specific sustainability goal each community chose in their initial application to EPA. The agency offered nine tools this year, including a Green Building Toolkit, Land Use Strategies to Protect Water Quality, and Using Smart Growth to Produce Economic and Fiscal Health.

"Communities that pursue sustainable practices know that good management and planning go arm-in-arm with a strong economy and a healthy environment,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “EPA’s Building Blocks program helps communities invest in sustainable growth techniques, helping them to plan for a better future. The short-term, targeted assistance we are providing will help stimulate local economies, while protecting people’s health and safeguarding the environment."

EPA consulted with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to select this year’s 43 recipients from 121 applicants through a competitive process.

To date, EPA’s assistance through the Building Blocks program has reached 141 communities. Together, EPA, HUD and DOT form the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which coordinates investments in housing, transportation, and environmental protection to get better results for communities and use taxpayer money more efficiently.